1. Field of the Invention.
This invention relates to rocking chairs and more specifically to chairs that possess a rocking and reclining capability due to suitable seat structure rather than to externally appended rocking and reclining elements.
2. Prior Art.
The prior art reveals certain types of chairs with a rocking or reclining capability.
A first type is the more conventional and comprises a seat attached to a pair of rocking elements. This type of rocking chair is exemplified by U.S. Pat. Nos. 89,317; 3,072,435 and 3,526,429.
A second type of chair is one in which the rocking motion is made possible by a suitably molded outer contour of the seat itself. This type of chair is exemplified by U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,451,672; D196,430 and D210,453.
Most simple, lightweight chairs that have the ability to rock have certain disadvantages. They may not be upright when not in use, thereby using more floor space, or tip over when rocked too vigorously and, if placed on an irregular or graded surface, may become unsteady.
A third type of chair has a molded outer contour of the seat giving it a rocking and reclining capability and a weight in the base of the chair for upright stability, for example see Netherlands patent application 6,712,562 (1968) or French Pat. No. 1,491,608 (1967).
It is an object of this invention to provide a lightweight rocking chair of enchanced stability. It is a further object of this invention to provide a chair that is adapted to recline to a position selected by a user and remain in the reclining position without significant effort on the part of the user. It is yet another object of this invention to make a lightweight chair rugged of construction, easily portable and simple of manufacture.